


Destiny Begins

by lil_Jo



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: All the Teen Angst, Angst, Eventual Fluff, F/M, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Jamie is Best Boi, Original Character(s), Post-The Heroes of Olympus, Slow Burn, Smell the Teen Spirit, dirk is a jerk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2020-12-23 20:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21087113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_Jo/pseuds/lil_Jo
Summary: After Percy's adventures life got better for many half-bloods and some of the lesser gods. But not for all of them.Destiny had had a rough life. Ever since she was little she had been plagued by strange happenings that no one could explain. A lot of people thought she was hallucinating or maybe she was trying to imagine a better life for herself. But maybe this place would be different. A chance to start over. A place to belong. Where people understood. Or was it?





	1. Run

They had been chasing her for two weeks. Never faltering. Never losing sight of her for more than a few hours. And every time she began to hope she had lost them they were there again. She couldn’t last much longer like this. Normally they would give up if she ran away. Sure they might take chase for a few days but never before had they lasted for weeks. 

She couldn’t last much longer like this. It had been two weeks since she had gotten a full eight hours’ worth of sleep. Her eyelids were now constantly heavy and her thoughts were muddled. The last sleep she had gotten was two hours in a coffee shop and that was yesterday. The coffee didn’t do anything anymore. She kept drinking it as if it might suddenly make a difference and wake her up. 

It wasn’t safe to drive her motorcycle while she was in this condition but she didn’t have a choice. She had to run. She had to stay safe. And running was the only way she knew how to stay safe. It was a method that had never failed her before. 

If she had been more awake she might have realized they were guiding her path. They blocked every direction save one. If she had gotten more than two hours of sleep in the last forty-eight hours she might have seen the trap closing in. But she hadn’t and she didn’t. So instead she drove her bike in the hope that she might lose them or that they might end their pursuit. 

She was now on Long Island, having traveled almost 3,000 miles from San Diego. And no matter how much her instincts told her to run she had to sleep. She knew they were nearby. She could feel it as though there were ants crawling under her skin. But she couldn’t stay awake much longer. And if she continued driving she would crash. 

So when the hotel appeared on her left she knew she had to go in. She pulled into the parking lot and almost fell over when she tried to park the bike, an action she had performed hundreds of times before. 

It must have been sheer luck that she managed to get to the front desk, pay for a room, find said room, and flop onto the bed before losing consciousness. 

Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright on the bed. Something was wrong. But nothing happened. Only silence accompanied her sudden awakening. But that feeling in the pit of her stomach had never been wrong before. 

She felt better. However long she had been asleep had been enough to clear her head a little. Though she had most definitely not been asleep long enough to make up for the many days she had gotten too little. 

She stood up and looked around for her army duffle. It did not take long as the duffle was laying on the ground right outside the bathroom door. Luckily she had had enough sense to take the bag up to the room with her. Shouldering the duffle she wondered what was wrong and why her stomach was telling her it wasn’t safe. She glanced around the lightless room and saw nothing that was out of the ordinary. But that didn’t mean anything. 

Outside it was pouring rain. The winds howled, and the lightning flashed in the premature pitch blackness brought on by the storm clouds. It wasn’t unusual for there to be storms this time of year. Especially on Long Island but something outside the window caught her eye. 

Straining to see what was out there did nothing until the lightning flashed and she saw the figure standing right outside her window staring at her, briefly silhouetted by the lightning. They had found her. She bolted out of the room, fear and adrenalin giving her new energy. 

Thankfully she had not bothered to take off any of her riding gear in her exhaustion so she could simply hop on her bike and go. She ran down the hallway shoving people aside. She didn’t go out the front door but instead ran through the halls until she found an exit that was close to where she had parked her bike. 

Throwing on her helmet she burst through the door into the driving rain. It was not safe to drive in such conditions but it was not safe to stay either. So she picked what she thought was the lesser of two evils and started up the bike. 

She tore out of the parking lot at top speed. The fear she felt driving her to reckless behavior. But somehow she managed to maintain control of her bike. Again and again, she saw them even with the torrential rain limiting her vision. 

There was no one else out in this weather. Everyone else was at home. It was unsurprising as she began to pass empty countryside. She knew at that moment she had made a huge mistake. She was very near the tip of Long Island and when she reached that she would have nowhere else to run. She needed to turn around now. 

But just as that thought entered her head one appeared in the middle of the road. It was too close to do anything about it. If she slammed on the breaks she would hydroplane, and it was too close to dodge. So she did the only thing she could do. She headed straight for it. 

But before she could reach it her luck ran out. Her front tire slipped and she was sent sliding along the paved road. She and the bike continued down the road until something caught and she and the bike were pulled into the ditch. She rolled down the bank until her forward motion was finally stopped. 

It took several seconds for the shock to wear off and for her to realize she was caught in an old and forgotten barbed-wire fence. The wires had tangled around her and were poking her painfully. Just a few feet in front of her was her bike it’s lights still on offering a limited field of view. 

She tried to stand but she was too entangled. She struggled against the wire but the more she struggled the worse her predicament became. The wire began to dig into her painfully and she knew it was drawing blood. The pain woke her up from her mindless struggle and she paused for a moment before she began to slowly and cautiously crawl out of the old fence. 

When she managed to get out she saw the figure on the edge of the bank. She tried to stand so that she could run but her leg was severely injured from the crash and the pain washed over her in an agonizing wave. She crumpled to the ground as the pain colored all her senses, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. 

Since she couldn’t run she crawled. She had to getaway. But she couldn’t get very far. Soon it was standing over her and she knew it was all over. But she couldn’t just quit. She couldn’t give up and die. 

Then out of the blue, there came a blinding light. She had to close her eyes from the intensity of the light. But just as quickly as it had appeard it disappeared. When the light faded it was gone. However, what was forefront in her mind was the sudden change she felt as the light faded.

Abruptly she began to feel stronger, faster. For the first time in weeks, she wasn’t tired. It was like what all those drug addicts said the first high was like. And it was too much at once. The feeling of power overwhelmed her, saturating her entire being and as the strength began to flow through her she passed out.


	2. Jamie

Jamie felt as though he was being called to the principal’s office. Honestly, it was the closest comparison he could think of. After all, no one wanted Chiron to be disappointed in them. Even the tough kids from the Ares cabin cared about what Chiron thought, though they did their best to hide it. 

Jamie was the cabin counselor for the Apollo cabin and it still felt weird. The last counselor had just graduated and moved off to college and everyone had decided that Jamie should be the new one. But there were obvious downsides to being the cabin counselor. Number one being everyone expected a higher standard of behavior and number two if anything goes wrong in the cabin it’s your fault. 

Well, being part of the Apollo cabin meant there had to be some harmless fun and pranking. This one had been a doozy. It had involved lacing the Ares’ cabin’s food with sleeping pills, lots of butter on the cabin floor, and a camera to watch it all go down. It was awesome.

Of course, the Ares’ cabin didn’t agree but when had they ever been fun? So they planned their revenge which involved trapping Jamie and the rest of the Apollo cabin. This of course was foreseen by the Apollo cabin and they planned another little surprise for the Ares cabin. 

This surprise involved an ambush and a little magic to make Dirk and his cronies rhyme and sing for the rest of the week. This of course only exacerbated the situation. 

This time the Ares cabin pounced right before lunch. And in the ensuing conflict, breakfast was ruined.

When the fight ended Mr. D was not happy. He threatened them with all sorts of horrors that still had Jamie a little on edge. Of course, Chiron wouldn’t allow anything to happen and so he stepped in and made both cabins clean up the mess and then return to their cabins where they would remain for the rest of the day. 

Or so Jamie had thought. But now he had been summoned to the big house and Jamie knew what was awaiting him. 

When he reached the porch Jamie found Chiron standing there looking disappointed. As Jamie approached Chiron motioned for him to sit on the patio furniture and so Jamie took his seat silently. 

“I’ve convinced Mr. D not to turn you all into bottlenose dolphins,” Chiron remarked flatly. Jamie didn’t respond. He knew that Chiron had more to say and it would be rude to interrupt. Chiron let out a sigh and began, “Jameson I realize that you and Dirk do not get along. But this feud of yours needs to stop.” Jamie clenched his jaw when Chiron mentioned Dirk. Jamie was a pretty easy going guy and generally could make friends with anyone. Of course, there were those who Jamie couldn’t befriend but those people were generally indifferent acquaintances. Dirk, however, was the exception. Dirk was a bully and that was what Jamie couldn’t stand. He could make friends with trite people, loud and obnoxious people, even people that everyone else deemed exasperating. But Jamie could and would never make friends with a bully. 

“It has reached the point where you’ve begun disrupting the other campers and as a counselor, you need to set a better example to the other members of your cabin.” Chiron continued. “I understand that you two…” Chiron’s words trailed off as both he and Jamie heard a loud crash. At first, Jamie dismissed the noise as the storm that was right outside of the camp borders. You see bad weather did not affect the camp unless the camp director, Mr. D, allowed it. So the furious storm was skirting along the edge of the camp border. This storm was a particularly nasty one. 

But when they heard the sound of a young girl’s scream followed by a bright light, that definitely was not a flash of lightning, both knew that something was wrong. The two rushed off towards the sound of the scream which was in the direction of half-blood hill. 

As the two approached the pine tree that protected the camp border they noticed a girl unconscious just outside of the camp border. She was covered from head to toe in black leather that was ripped to shreds and her biker helmet was in just as bad of shape. Jamie noticed a little further away was a racing motorcycle whose engine and lights were still on. 

Jamie knew that the girl had been in an accident which was unsurprising since the rain was coming down like cats and dogs which was not safe for bikers to drive in. What was surprising was the lack of injuries on the girl. Yes her outfit was torn to shreds and she was unconscious. But there was no sign of any injuries. Jamie was rather confused by this. Yes, she was wearing the proper outfit that would reduce the seriousness of any injuries accrued when in an accident. But still, even the thick leather pants would not stop road rash completely. 

But Jamie didn’t get much of a chance to think about that before he saw it in the darkness. He had never seen one before but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what they looked like. The Revenant drew closer to them slowly and Jamie knew that neither he nor Chiron had any weapons to defend themselves with. They needed to get back to the safety of the camp. 

Chiron must have had the same thought because he picked up the unconscious girl and carried her towards the safety of the campgrounds. Jamie wondered if the girl would be able to pass through the barrier but she did with no problems, which meant only one thing. She was a half-blood.


	3. Is It Safe?

Destiny began to stir. The first thought that popped into her head was the realization that someone was sitting next to her. Her eyes flew open as she quickly tried to determine if she was in danger. The person right next to her was a rather handsome looking boy. He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen with short, golden-brown hair that was mostly covered by a backward baseball cap. The boy looked very athletic. Not super muscular, more like a runner. He flashed Destiny a large lopsided grin and Destiny couldn’t help but think of all the trouble makers she had known in her life. 

But Destiny barely had time to notice the boy beside her before she noticed a large centaur staring straight at her. She stared back at the centaur fear rising in her gut. 

“It is alright child,” the centaur tried to soothe her, “You are safe now. The Revenant cannot harm you here.” But Destiny was not reassured. This was not the first time a monster had tried to trick her with lies. 

She opened her mouth and her voice carried a slight tremble as she said, “Stay away from me centaur!” 

The boy looked at the centaur and then back at Destiny before he tried to calm Destiny. “It’s okay,” he stated as he put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, “Chiron won’t hurt you. You’re safe here.” 

Destiny looked at the boy unconvinced. Obviously he couldn’t see that “Chiron” was a centaur. But then a thought struck Destiny, “Chiron. You mean like the centaur who trained all those heroes?”

“Yes, that was me,” Chiron affirmed. “I have trained heroes for centuries. And if you stay child I will train you as well.”

Destiny’s face contorted into one of pure shock. “Me!?” she exclaimed.

“Yes, after all, you are a half-blood. The safest thing for you is to train as a hero so that you can protect yourself from the monsters in the outside world. And I will do my best to ensure that you are prepared.”

“A half-blood?” 

“Half human. Half god.” the boy explained. 

“Like the Greek gods?” the boy nodded. “So they are real.” she wondered aloud. “So you think that I’m one of the gods’ children?” This time both Jamie and Chiron nodded. “But how do you know?”

“Well,” the boy began, “there is a magical barrier surrounding the camp. Only half-bloods and gods can enter without permission. And neither Chiron nor I gave you permission before we drug you in here. And besides that, there was a Revenant chasing you. And monsters don’t chase regular mortals.” The boy stopped there as though that perfectly answered her question. 

Destiny stared back at the two of them not sure of what to do. All her life Destiny had seen monsters and things and all her life people had told her they weren’t real. That they were a figment of her imagination or some other explanation. But now she was being told by a human teenage boy and a centaur that went by the name Chiron that the Greek gods were real and that she was one of their children.   
Destiny didn’t know if it was a trick and the boy would turn into a monster and both he and Chiron would eat her, or if it was another one of her dreams, or if it was real. But something about this whole thing seemed right. It was as if something was telling her that it was alright. That she was meant to be here. 

“So then if I’m a child of the gods. Whose child am I?” 

The boy looked as if he was about to answer but Chiron interrupted, “There will be time for questions later. For now, I think it would be best if…” Chiron trailed off as a thought struck him. “What is your name, child?”  
“Destiny,” she replied.

“Well then Destiny, I believe it would be best if Jamie here took you on a tour of the camp as well as taking you to get some food and a shower. And while that happens I will get some satyrs to fetch your belongings.”   
Just as Chiron said food, Destiny’s stomach growled loudly. And every question on her lips died at the thought of a nice hot shower. Destiny still hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility that this was all a trap. But if she could get some food and a hot shower before the trap sprung then Destiny wouldn’t complain too much. 

So she followed after Jamie reveling in the thought of a nice hot shower and good food.


	4. Welcome to Camp Half-blood

Jamie wondered why Chiron hadn’t bothered to ask Destiny any questions about how she had come to the camp borders. It was obvious that she didn’t know Camp half-blood existed until they had told her about it. And then there was that whole thing about her getting into that accident and walking away without a scratch. 

But Jamie had been told to show Destiny around the camp and so he was going to show Destiny around the camp. 

Jamie was about to start the tour when Destiny looked straight at Jamie and stated, “Food and shower and then I’ll do whatever.” 

Jamie was taken aback a bit by her bluntness but he didn’t question. Honestly, he was a little grateful that she was so desperate to take a shower. She looked and smelled like she hadn’t taken a shower in weeks and the way her stomach growled back in the Big House Jamie wondered if she hadn’t eaten in weeks. 

So Jamie led Destiny off to the bathrooms and as he did so one of the satyrs appeared with a big army duffle. Destiny snatched the duffle and ran into the bathhouse. Jamie wondered how long it would take for Destiny to take a shower. After all, Aphrodite girls could take hours to take a shower and get dressed again and Jamie was not excited to wait that long to show Destiny around the camp.

Thankfully, however, Destiny appeared again in ten minutes. Her hair was damp showing she had taken a shower and she was in fresh clothes. After her shower, Jamie actually took the time to look at Destiny. She was a tall girl with a nasty looking scar running from her jaw to her eyebrow that barely managed to miss her eye. If it hadn't been for that scar Destiny would have been drop-dead gorgeous. She had lightly tanned skin and jet black hair. And her eyes were an electric blue. She also looked to be in good shape with lean chorded muscles. Jamie also noticed there was a slight spring in her step as she came back outside. 

"Feeling better," asked Jamie.

Destiny didn't say anything but nodded in affirmation. When she didn't answer Jamie thought that Destiny might be one of those quiet shy girls. But she didn't carry herself like one of those girls would. She carried herself as someone who exudes confidence. Then Janie thought she might just be closed off. After all, being a Half-Blood isn't the easiest thing in the world.

“Alright then. The food will take a minute to prepare so I think we should take our tour and then end with a hearty meal.”

“Okay,” Destiny agreed. And that was the only word that Jamie got out of her the entire rest of the tour. Jamie could tell she was listening to what he was saying because she would nod and acknowledge him but other than that no words escaped her lips. Not when they visited the rock climbing wall that had lava that poured down the side if you climbed up too slowly. Not when she saw the cabins, which were plenty weird. Not when she saw the target range. Not even when she saw the satyrs using magic to grow the strawberries in the strawberry fields. 

“There aren’t that many of us around right now since it’s offseason. Most of the kids won’t show up until the summer hits but some of us stay year-round and others of us are here early.”

Again Destiny just nodded. But when she saw the stables she finally spoke. The stables are full of mythical creatures. For the most part, they are pegasi. But every once in a while there are other creatures that come to stay in the stables.   
Once they opened the doors to the stables they were greeted with several whinnies. And for the first time, she actually showed some interest in an area of the camp. 

Destiny went to each and every stall and greeted each Pegasus by name, which she got from the nameplates on each stall. But it wasn't until she started moving towards Thunder's stall that Jamie intervened. 

"Hold on," Jamie called, grabbing Destiny by the arm. "We should leave him alone."

"What?" Destiny questioned, confusion and longing mixed together on her face, "Why?"

"That's Thunder. His owner left for college two years ago and he was the only one who could keep Thunder under control. If anyone else goes near his stall Thunder tends to freak out." 

"What's the matter, sun boy? Afraid of a little horse?" An unknown voice spoke out from behind them. 

Both Destiny and Jamie turned and saw three tough-looking kids each with wicked grins enter the stables and close the doors. 

Jamie eyed the tallest of the three. The one who had spoken. "Dirk."


	5. Dirk

Destiny didn't need to be a psychic to know that there was bad blood between Jamie and Dirk. The way Jamie, whose body language had been nothing but friendly and open the whole time, tensed up was enough of a hint. Then add to the fact that Dirk was grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary and had taken the trouble to grab to friends and trap both her and Jamie in the stables which were far enough away from everything that it would take anyone who might hear them a few minutes to reach them. 

Nobody moved at first. They just stared at each other like they were gunslingers in an old western who were about to have a shoot out. This time gave Destiny a chance to look at the three kids across from her. 

Dirk was the first one who caught her attention. He looked to be about six-three and had a strong build like a fireman in a calendar. He had black hair and deep blue eyes. Honestly, Dirk was the prettiest boy you could imagine, even his evil grin couldn't hide that. His lips were a deep red, his eyelashes long and thick, and the beauty mark which graced his upper lip only added to the effect. 

The two kids behind and to either side of him were nowhere near as attractive. The girl who was on the left was short and stalky. Her thin strawlike hair peeking out of an old heavy metal baseball cap. Her nose was crooked. 

While the boy on the right was also muscular but his muffin top and second chin told of a lifestyle of lots of exercises and lots more food. When he opened his mouth the yellowed and crooked teeth did nothing to improve his features either. 

Dirk was the first to break the silence. "Well well well. I heard that there was a newcomer to camp and if course Jamie managed to schmooze to Chiron to not only escape punishment for everything he's done but also to escort her around." Dirk then regarded Destiny, "Listen, I don't know what Jamie told you but around here me and my friends are in charge. So I'd stay away from this loser and mind what we say and we'll let you live."

Destiny could hear the menacing tone in Dirk's voice and she didn't like it. She thought of every tough guy in every foster home she'd ever been in and it made her skin crawl. "No."

"What's that?" Dirk asked in surprise. 

"No," Destiny replied, "I will not bow down to you and worship at your feet. And if you push me I will stand up to you. So turn around and walk away."  
Destiny's words were so compelling that the boy and girl who were with Dirk turned and started heading for the door but Dirk only stood there with a puzzled look on his face for a second before he shook his head and said, "I think the new girl just volunteered herself for a beating." This snapped the other two out of whatever trance they were in and they grinned as they started advancing towards Destiny. 

"I bet you're not even that tough," Destiny challenged. "After all you're from the Aphrodite cabin right?" 

At this Dirk stopped and his two companions started snickering. "Shut up!" Dirk growled at the two. The two stopped snickering but Destiny could see the laughter in their eyes. "I'm the son of Ares god of war and I'm going to beat you so hard you'll wish that you were never born," Dirk promised. 

Dirk's cronies backed off and Jamie stepped forward grabbing Destiny's arm. "Dirk leave her alone. She's new. She didn't mean anything by it."

Dirk glowered at Jamie, "Shut up funny boy. The new girl just saved you from a beating. So shut up and stay out of the way." 

Destiny could see the wheels turning in Jamie's head and she knew he was trying to come up with a way to protect her. "It's okay Jamie." And in one move she removed herself from Jamie's grip and squared off to fight Dirk. "I'll give you one chance to back out Dirk. I won't start this fight but if you start it I will finish it." Destiny promised.

Dirk didn't respond. Instead, he threw his first punch. Destiny could tell Dirk was overconfident and mad. Neither of which was good for a fight. His first punch was a little wide and Destiny nimbly dodged it.   
Dirk was surprised by this and had to collect himself before Destiny started her attack. She did a quick combo to test Dirk's reflexes before spinning out of reach. Unfortunately, Dirk was ready for this and he swung his leg. Destiny saw the boy's leg and suddenly the whole world slowed down. 

Destiny saw that there was no way for her to completely avoid the kick but there was a way for her to turn it to her advantage. 

She continued her spin move taking a glancing blow to her jaw. She then used the few more seconds that Dirk's leg was in the air to sweep his other leg out from under him. 

Dirk fell but Destiny grabbed his shirt so that instead of landing on his back he landed on his backside. She then pulled on his shirt and getting right up in his face said, "Are you done?"  
In response, Dirk tried to throw another punch. But Destiny saw that coming and blocked it. Then, as her own response, she punched Dirk in the gut. 

She then grabbed his arm and twisted around until she was behind him pushing his arm up along his back. 

Dirk cried out I pain as his shoulder threatened to dislocate. Destiny then asked again. "Are you done?" 

"Yes, I'm done just let go of my arm!" He howled.

Destiny did and Dirk stood up but Destiny wasn't done. "Look," she grabbed Dirk's collar and pulled until he was practically nose to nose with Destiny, "I don't care if you're top dog here. I don't care if you're Ares himself. I will not submit to you or anyone else who tries to force me. As for the rest. You can do whatever you want so long as you leave me alone. Alright?"

Dirk didn't respond and his two friends from the Ares cabin just stood there dumbfounded. Destiny then turned to Jamie who was wearing a face that mirrored the Ares kids and grabbing his arm said, "I think you promised me some food."


	6. I Belong?

After they finished dinner, in which Destiny had had three helpings and had scarfed each one down as if it was the last food she would ever have, Jamie looked over at Destiny, the ice pack covered the bruise she had received earlier. 

"How's your face?" 

Destiny finished licking her plate clean and with a spiteful look on her face replied, "Still there last time I checked. What about yours?"

Jamie gave Destiny an impish grin before responding, "I don't know. Am I still as devilishly handsome as I was before?"

Destiny's only response was a roll of her eyes but Jamie could see the slight smile in her eyes.

"What?" Jamie asked in mock unawares. When Destiny didn't say anything Jamie decided they should head off to campfire. "Come on," he gestured while standing up, "time for you to get claimed." 

Destiny looked at Jamie confused, "What am I, some lost puppy?"

"Haha! No. Remember how Chiron explained that you are a child of one of the gods?" Destiny nodded. "Well, almost seven years ago Percy Jackson saved Olympus from one of the greatest threats it's ever faced. And as a reward he made the gods promise to claim their children. All of there children. So your godly parent has until the end of campfire to claim you."

Destiny wasn't sure about how she should feel about this. She had ruled out this being a trap. The only reason is that normally a trap would spring in a matter of moments. This however had been a little over two hours. That and the fact that there were too many people in on it if it was a lie. That being said Destiny knew from experience that things that look too good to be true, are. But at the same time Destiny was curious and even though she would never ever admit it she was the tiniest bit excited. After all, every child wants love, and Destiny was no exception. She was excited at the prospect of having a parent even though she hid that tiny corner of her heart under layers and layers of disinterest and disdain. 

So Jamie led Destiny off to campfire and the few kids that were there sang songs. And then Chiron made a few announcements. And then that was it campfire was over and every eye trained in Destiny. But Destiny didn't see any of them except for Dirk. Dirk whose face was bruised and swollen and his arm was in a sling, proof of Destiny and his fight earlier today. His face was twisted into a disgusting grin that mocked Destiny. Because campfire was over and Destiny hadn't been claimed.


End file.
